Features
- Cover Type: Hard Cover with 576 pages
- Published by: McFarland & Company January 6, 2005
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0786420367
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0786420360
-
Book Dimensions:
11.1 x 8.4 x 1.5 inches
- Weighs: 3.4 pounds
From Booklist
The continuing search for Nessie, Bigfoot, sea serpents, and other mysterious creatures, or
cryptids, is a fascinating subject. The discovery of living coelacanths, long believed extinct, fuels the imagination that other creatures, such as dinosaurs, may still walk the earth. This encyclopedia presents the latest information on sightings and hoaxes.
Concentrating on plausible creatures, not paranormal entities such as ghosts, the volume consists of 2,744 alphabetically arranged entries describing 1,583 creatures as well as places, people, and more. Two essays on
Cryptotourism and
Hoaxes are included. Some entries are accompanied by small black-and-white illustrations and photographs. Longer entries on
Alien big cats, Nessie, and
Octopus (giant) provide much information on these mysteries, describing sightings with dates and locations and giving possible explanations. The author is careful to not offer opinions of the validity of sightings but does refer to documented evidence calling them into question, as with recent sightings of the extinct
Passenger pigeon. This is the opposite story from the
Eastern cougar, where numerous sightings are forcing a reconsideration of their extinction. Each article ends with a list of sources with complete citations for those titles not included in the bibliography and short citations for those that are included. A glossary, six appendixes (a time line, a filmography, Internet links, and more), a bibliography, and an index complete the work.
Cryptozoology is treated in several other books.
Cryptozoology A to Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature (Simon & Schuster, 1999) provides an overview with approximately 100 entries.
Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology (ABC-CLIO, 2003) has half the entries (1,125 compared to 2,744) of the
Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology and is arranged more as a field guide. The depth of coverage in the current work makes it an great purchase for academic, high-school, and public libraries whose patrons are interested in this subject.
Abbie Vestal LandryCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Product Description
On every continent and in every nation, animals unrecognized by modern science are reported on a daily basis. People passionately pursue these creatures - the name given to their field of study is cryptozoology. Coined in the 1950's, the term literally means the science of hidden animals. When the International Society of Cryptozoology (ISC) was formed in 1982, the founders declared that the branch of science is also concerned with "the possible existence of known animals in areas where they are not supposed to occur (either now or in the past) as well as the unknown persistence of presumed extinct animals to the present time or to the recent pastwhat makes an animal of interest to cryptology is that it is unexpected." Presenting a "flesh and blood" view of cryptozoology, this reference work excludes discussion of mysterious zoological phenomena. Here, 2,744 entries are listed, the majority of which each describe one specific creature or type of creature. Those entries cover creatures that have been reported from an extremely wide variety of locations worldwide, and throughout recorded history. Other entries cover 742 places where unnamed cryptids are said to appear; profiles of 77 groups and 112 individuals who have contributed to the field; descriptions of objects and events important to the subject; and essays on cryptotourism and hoaxes, for example. Appendices offer a timeline of zoological discoveries, annotated lists of movies and television series with cryptozoological themes, a list of crypto-fiction titles and a list of Internet websites devoted to cryptozoology.
Reader ReviewsI just don't know why some people send in comments on books they haven't read. This book is obviously outstanding, and priced due to all the work it took in creating it and to whom it is marketed. I received Michael Newton's Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology, late yesterday. I will be writing a formal, published review, but I want to alert you to how good it is. You should go out of your way to highly recommend it for purchase by your local, school, or university library (the target audience of a reference work like this). And for those serious cryptozoologists who can afford it, for your personal research library, it, simply put, is a *must* buy. Last night, I couldn't help myself, and stayed up until the wee hours of the night, reading, flipping, reading more, surfing, reading, and smiling. What a trip. Newton's got it down pat. Critical writing with a light hand and open-mindedness to looking at all facets, in presenting cases, cryptids, and evidence, as well as the overturning of media-driven hoax claims (Nessie Surgeon Photos, Ray Wallace fiasco, and others). Most surprising of all the entries I have read so far is Newton's reexamination of the supposed 1990 expose' of Three-Toes, with a fresh look again at "all" elements of those 1948 events. This volume quite correctly is as skeptical of blanket debunking claims as it is to the fast rush to specific cryptozoological hypotheses. Newton logically critiques the various theories of cryptozoologists who have ventured forth with their thoughts. His discussion of the Minnesota Iceman, for example, in its total fairness to several points of view, I found amazing. There are 2,744 entries, including 112 individual biographies, 77 cryptozoology groups described, and, of course, lots of location data, cryptids detailed, and illustrations sprinkled throughout. It also has some fantastic appendices that are comprehensive listings of new animal discoveries, cryptofiction, cryptozoology in films, and cryptozoology on television. At 576 pages in one oversized volume, it is a rather user friendly reference work.
Search for books at
